


you wound me, grace

by awnrii



Category: Infinity Train
Genre: Blood, Death, Gun Violence, amelia is there for a little bit, big brother simon rights, cursing, evil grace au, good simon au!, hazel is sad :(
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-15
Updated: 2020-09-15
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:15:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,021
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26481772
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/awnrii/pseuds/awnrii
Summary: The 5 times Grace ‘wounded’ Simon and the one time she did.
Relationships: Simon Laurent/Grace Monroe (implied)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 32





	you wound me, grace

5

Grace flicks Simon's ponytail idly as they chat.  
“And so- I thought maybe instead of having the antagonist be redeemed, I just make him spiral. Like, imagine the impact! It’s original, it’s cool, it’s-“  
“Si, you should really comb out your hair more.”  
Grace combs through Simons tangled ponytail, attempting to untangle a knot.  
“Owowoowow- stop that!” Simon swats Grace’s hands away, attempting to smoothen his messy hair out.  
“Look, if you can’t maintain it, just cut it off!”  
“No! Having Long hair adds character Grace! Character! Besides, I think I look cool.”   
Grace rolls her eyes. “You look like a dork with a rats nest on your head.”  
In retaliation, Simon reeled back, holding a hand against his chest.   
“You wound me, Grace.” He falls back onto the soft beanbag. “I’m dying now. You’ve killed me.”  
Grace snickers. “How dramatic! I’ve insulted your hair and your dignity.”  
Simon grabs her by the arm, pulling her forward so that she falls into the beanbag next to him.  
“That’s revenge.”  
Grace pulls her head out of the beanbag.   
“That’s uncalled for! Get over here-“  
They end up chasing each other around their quarters until they’re both exhausted, and end up falling asleep leaning against the wall.

4

They tumble onto the cold metal bridge. Grace gets up with a start, head hurting as her vision clears.  
“Simon?”  
She glances around, and spots him barely holding onto the bridge.  
“A little help here?”  
“I gotcha.”  
She hoists him up, patting him on the back as she did so.  
“I owe you one.”  
“You owe me, like, a million. Plus a new raid mask. And a new harpoon pack.”  
“Yours is broken?”  
“Beyond broken.”  
“You can have mine for now, then. Not like I’m gonna have a good use it for it anyway.”  
He shrugs off the pack, and hands it to Grace, who gratefully puts in on.  
“What was that about? Traincars aren’t supposed to move when passengers are inside.”   
“You know full well who can do that.”  
“That wretched robot. You think he was attacking us?”  
“I wouldn’t put it past him. We’ve caused damage. Maybe we upset him?”  
Grace smiles. “Good.”  
Simon frowns into the number tracker.  
Grace nudges his side, twirling a stray strand of hair in his ponytail. “What’s wrong, mister general?”  
“The Apex … They’re a good 47 cars away.”  
Grace makes a mental note of that.  
“We’ll be fine, Si. It’s you and me we’re talking about - Grace and Simon! We’ll get through those cars in no time. Maybe even rack those numbers up higher.”  
Simon flashes a quick reassuring smile back at her. “Yeah, yeah. Okay.”  
“Plus, your harpoon pack reeks of nerd. We gotta get back fast so I can swap it out for a new one.”  
“Ouch, Grace. I’m wounded. You’ve hurt me.”  
“Oh, how treacherous of a situation,” Grace says, patting his shoulder and moving along to open the car doors. “How will our hero ever survive.”  
“With the power of friendship, Grace.” Simon replies, sarcastic.  
She elbows him, and they make their way into the next car.

3

“‘Aaahh! Oh no! Aaahh! Don’t eat us!’ That’s what you two sounded like!” The tangle of unruly hair and dirty clothes had said.  
“Simon,” grace whispered. “You said there wouldn’t be any passengers for the next, like, 30 cars.”  
“The number tracker didn’t show anyone here! See for yourself-“  
“Your gizmo’s broken, ponytail. There’s a kid right there.”  
“Weird.” Simon mutters.  
Grace pays him no mind.  
“Hello! I’m Grace, and this here is my best friend Simon. What’s your name?”  
“Hazel!” The kid beams back at her.  
“And this is Tuba!” Hazel gestures to the huge purple gorilla standing guard.  
“Hey Tuba!” A null. A kid attached to a null. Not good. She turns her attention back to Hazel.  
“Hazel, do you want to know something very special?”  
Hazel nods furiously, excited.  
Grace pulls down her glove to reveal rows and rows of bright green digits, glowing at her.  
“This is my number. Do you have a number?”  
Hazel opens her palm for her.   
“Yea, but yours glows!” 

“Simon, come take a look at this.”  
“Holy shit.”  
“Language!”  
“Right, sorry. That’s probably why she didn’t show up on the number tracker.”  
“You don’t reckon…?”  
“One-one was probably trying to hide her from us. She’s vital to us, Grace.”  
Grace thinks for a moment.  
She turns back to the child.  
“Hey, Hazel, would you like to join us?”  
Hazel looks back up with confused, warm eyes.   
Simon continues after Grace. “We are a part of Apex. At Apex, we make sure you get everything you’re entitled to on the train. You see, we-“  
“Pbbbbfffttttttt!”   
Hazel blows a raspberry at him.  
Grace bites down a snicker as she sees Simon flush red.  
“A troublemaker, aren’t you!”   
Hazel nods proudly.  
“Let me- let me explain it simply. The Apex is a special force of kids. We protect the kids from the train. When your number,” he taps onto his own palm, “hits 0, you disappear forever.”  
Hazel looks mortified for a moment, and then shakes her head. “I don’t wanna hit 0!”  
“You won’t if you join us, Hazel. We could even fix your number, so that it glows like ours. Would you like that?”  
Hazel glances down at her own number, and looks back up at Simon, stars in her eyes.   
“Yes! I’ll go tell Tuba to pack up-“  
“Tuba can’t follow, Hazel.” Grace perks up from the side.  
“...What?”  
“I said, Tuba can’t follow. It’s for kids only.”  
Simon casts a worried look between Grace and Tuba, prepared to step in.  
“Don’t be daft! I’m not leaving Tuba.”  
Simon pulls Grace aside.  
“Grace- we need this. We can’t just run past that thing - we should just get Hazel to the Apex and then wheel it. It’s not worth the risk now.”  
Grace groans, but flicks his fringe. “Fine. But I get to wheel it.”  
“You love taking credit, don’t you.”  
“Of course.”

“Tuba can follow us, Hazel. You might want to start packing whatever you need.”  
Hazel bounces around excitedly, rushing to tell Tuba the great news.  
Simon sighs, letting himself smile at that giddy childishness.  
Grace nudges him on his shoulder. “You growing soft on me already?”  
Simon rolls his eyes. “No. She’s a kid, alright? Kids are cute. I’m allowed to be soft.”  
“Yeah, okay General Softie.”  
“I am not a softie!”  
“Are too!”  
“Am not!”  
“You’re just denying it.”  
“Am not. I am not soft, Grace.”  
“Yeah, sure.”

“She kinda reminds me of you, you know?” Grace tugs at her shirt idly.  
“How so?”  
“Childish. Bad fashion taste, too.”  
Simon fake gasps in shock, keeling over. “Grace! How could you… my fashion taste… ruined! You’ve murdered me in cold blood! Tell Hazel I went out defending what was important to me…!”  
Grace bursts out into laughter, Simon joining her.   
She wipes tears from her eyes, still laughing. “You can’t defend socks and sandals! That's horrific!”  
“It’s practical, kneepads. Prac-ti-cal!”  
“Socks and sandals. Really.”

2

“You wound me, Hazel!”   
Grace hears it from the vents.  
She decided to stay up there a little while. Can’t hurt to hear what they’re talking about, right?  
“But it’s true! Your dancing really sucks, Simon.”  
“Come on! I didn’t get to take classes or anything.”  
“But I did!”  
“Oh, did you now? Show me what you remember, then.”  
“I … uh… I can’t remember anything.”  
“From… the classes?”  
“Mmhmm.”  
“Ah. Do you remember anything? From outside the train, I mean.”  
“No.” Hazels voice sounds close to tears.  
“That’s okay bud. I don’t remember a lot about it either.”  
“Really?”  
“Yeah. So you’re not alone, okay, you’ve got me, and Grace-“  
“And Tuba!”  
Simon laughs. It’s so genuine it startled her for a moment - she can’t pinpoint the last genuine laugh they’ve had.  
“And- and Tuba. We’ll make it back to Apex and fix your number there, okay?”  
“But we have to get out of here first!”  
“We’ll just wait for Grace to come back. She always has good plans.”  
“Do you always rely on Grace?” This was Tuba’s voice. Slow, and deep.  
“What?! N-no- I-“  
“Maybe you should decide what the course of action is.”  
“I- maybe- maybe next time. For now, we have to get out.”  
Maybe next time.  
“So- we’ll just wait for Grace.”  
Wait for Grace.  
Right.  
Was all she was to him just a map?  
Her numbers whirr up by 14.  
She doesn’t notice.

She clambers out of the vent.  
“Grace!”  
“Simon. There’s nothing out there.” She says, cooly.  
“What?”  
“It’s a black void, Si. Nothing out there.”  
“So - we-“  
“Have to dance, yea.”  
Hazel cheers from behind them, and Simon groans.  
“Just lost a bet to a 6 and a half year old.” He grumbles.  
Grace smiles. “Be my partner already!”

The door reveals itself, at last.  
“Finally.” Grace sighs. “This dress was getting annoying.”  
“You looked fine in it.”  
“And you look tacky, mister hoodie tux.”  
“Hey! I’m the pinnacle of fashion here.”  
“Says the socks and sandals boy.”  
“Are you ever gonna let me live that down?”  
Grace goes to respond, but is interrupted by Hazel, bounding in on her tip toes. “We did it!”  
“We sure did. Hey, Grace, you think she’s ready?”  
Grace toys with her lipstick. “For sure.”  
She draws a synth line across Hazel’s face.   
“You’re Apex now.”  
The look of wonder that crosses Hazel’s face and the way she showed it to Tuba almost immediately almost made Grace sympathise with the gorilla null.  
But she didn’t.  
No, no. She wasn’t win over that easy.  
She wasn’t weak.

1

“Throw Hazel across!” She yells. “Simon, catch her. I’ll go back for Tuba.”  
Simon nods, determined, and readies himself to catch Hazel.  
Tuba throws Hazel across with her sling bag, and they touch down safely in Simons arms. Hazel looks back at Tuba, concerned, but find her dangling by the side of the train.  
“Tuba!” Hazel shrieks, writhing our of Simons grasp.  
“Hey hey- hey- be careful- listen, she’s in good hands, okay? Grace is gonna get her- they’ll be okay. Lets go into the next car and wait for them, okay?”  
Hazel nods, burying her face into Simon’s hoodie as he carries her into the next car.

Grace walks into the car.  
Alone.  
“Where’s Tuba?” Hazel springs up. “Where’s Tuba! Where is she?”   
Grace squats down low to get to Hazel’s eye level.  
“Hazel. You don’t ever have to worry about that bull ever again.”  
“You… you didn’t…”  
“Yeah. I wheeled her. I know you won’t get it, but you’ll understand. Nulls are just toys dragging us down.”  
“T-Tuba is…”  
Hazel bursts into tears, and runs out of the car doors.  
“Hazel-“ Simon yelps, moving to follow her.  
Grace’s arm stretches out to stop him.  
“Grace- what're you doing- move! I have to go get-“  
“Hazel?”  
“Yeah. She- its tough, losing your- denizen, okay? I know that!”  
“You’re still not over that cat.”  
“... Listen- just-“  
Simon shoves Grace’s arm out of the way, and runs past her and out the car doors.  
Grace grimaces.  
Weak.

“Hazel?”  
Hazel is sobbing, leaning against the hard metal walls of the train.  
“Hazel…”   
Lightning flashes, almost blinding Simon, and when he opens his eyes, Hazel was changed.  
A turtle person.  
Always the turtles.  
“S-Simon?”  
Hazel looks down at her claws.  
“What- what am I-“  
“I … don’t know.”  
“It’s my- it’s my skin! Why is it my skin?!”  
“Hazel- calm down! Take- take deep breaths, okay? We can- we can fix this.”  
Hazel takes steadying breaths. He claws retract, and her shell disappears.   
“That’s better.”  
Simon pulls her into a gentle hug, rubbing her back.   
“I want Tuba.” She says, voice cracked with the force used to hold back her tears.  
“Tuba’s… gone, Hazel.”  
“Can we look for her? I promise I’ll be good- I promise I won’t be a bother anymore- can we please find her?”  
“Hazel- Tuba’s-“  
Simon sighs. “Tuba’s dead, Hazel.” He says solemnly, combing her hair out gently. He knows that was a comforting gesture.  
She wails into his shoulder, and he lets her.  
Suddenly she pulls herself away, fear in her eyes.  
“Simon- Simon- Grace is gonna kill me! Simon, I’m afraid of the wheel!”  
Her claws grow again, and she’s back to turtle form.  
“H- Hazel! Nonono, come on, deep breaths, okay?”  
Hazel breathes deep.  
Simon holds her shoulders equal parts firm and equal parts comforting.  
“I won’t let her hurt you, okay? I promise.”  
“Okay.”  
“But can you promise me something back?”  
“Yes.”  
“We keep the turtle thing from Grace. We keep it a secret, okay? She can’t know.”  
Hazel nods, teary eyed.  
“Let’s go back, okay?”

The door unlocks, and Simon walks in with the kid.  
“Took you long enough.” Grace starts, about to show off her shiny new rows of green.  
“Why would you do that!?” Simon lashes out, genuine rage in his voice.  
“I told you I could take her out. Fulfilled it.”  
“You- you killed Hazel’s denizen- her mother figure. Like that.”  
“Do you want me to apologise to the null? It’s nothing now, Simon. Gone.” She smiles. “I wheeled it myself.”  
“Grace.” Simon begins, tone firm. “Don’t ever do that again.”  
She grabs him roughly by the hood of his hoodie. “Don’t bark orders at me, Simon. You’re nothing compared to me.”  
“I-“  
“You’re weak. Soft. You won’t survive out here like that.”  
“You’re a coward, Simon.”  
She drops him, and he stumbles slightly.  
Grace takes a good look at his expression, and savours it.  
His face was conflicted. Hurt. Wounded, he used to joke.  
He looked as if he was truly wounded, this time.  
She turns heel and keeps walking to the exit.  
“Come- come on, Hazel.” She hears him mutter from behind her. “I’ll be fine. Let’s go, okay?”

0

“Face it Simon. It’s over.” Grace practically purrs, gripping the gun she had stolen from Amelia’s bag nonchalantly.  
Simon raises a protective arm in front of Hazel, stepping in front of her.  
“No, it’s not. Grace- listen- we can talk about this.”  
“No the fuck we can’t. I’ve had enough of you. I’ve had enough of both of you. You don’t tell me anything. First, your childhood, now, that Hazel was a fucking null?”  
“She’s not a null! She’s a kid!”  
“Don’t lie to me, Laurent. She’s a fucking turtle. You’ve been far too soft for far too long, and it’s her fault.”  
“She’s just a kid- Grace- let her go! If- if you need to take your anger out on anybody- blame it on me.”  
“Yeah. Sure! Fine! I’ll blame it on both of you.”  
Hazel whimpers, and grips onto Simon’s sleeve tight.  
“Grace. It’s not- not too late to change! We can- we can go back to Apex and pretend this never happened. Put the gun down, and we can-“  
There went her first warning shot. It whizzed by Simon’s ear, missing it barely.  
“Fuck- Grace! Put the gun-“  
“No.”  
“Hazel.” Simon drops his voice to a whisper. “I’ll keep Grace distracted. You run along and go find Amelia, okay? Can you do that for me?”  
Hazel nods, teary eyed. “Please don’t die. I don’t want to lose you.”  
“I promise I won’t, okay? Go.”  
Hazel takes off to his right, and Grace aims for her-  
And suddenly she’s been tackled, and the two of them are hitting each other - whacking and punching and swinging and kicking.  
Simon pins her down.  
“Grace- please! I don’t want to fight!”  
“It’s because you’re a coward!”  
She pulls the trigger in a fit of rage - 

The sound of a gunshot is much louder than you’d expect it to be. It rings in her ears, her eyes still adjusting to the flash.  
Simon raises a shaky hand to his abdomen, and it comes away red.  
“Ah- Looks like you’ve… actually wounded me, this time.” He chokes out, pressing a hand over the wound.  
Grace ‘s hands were shaking.  
“No- Simon I- I didn’t mean to-“  
The crimson was overflowing onto the floor, and Simon stumbled to stand up.  
“Ah- aha. That’s a lot of blood, isn’t it.”  
“Simon- I’m- im sorry-“  
The gun is left on the floor still, kicked aside in a frenzy.  
She had just shot her best friend.  
Oh, god.  
Her number whirred up by rows and rows, up to her neck.   
“I-“  
So she did what came naturally.  
She ran.

Simon drags himself along, leaving a red trail back to the cave.  
The cave was quiet. Colder. It numbed it out, a little.  
He had to stay alive.  
A little longer - he wasn't going without saying goodbye.  
He squeezes his eyes shut, trying to block out the pain, and the warmth, and the red.  
Put pressure on the wound, right?  
He pressed hard against it.  
“Fuck-“ he winces, biting his lip so hard he tastes blood. Maybe not that much pressure.

“Simon!”   
Ah, there was Amelia.  
“Oh god. You’re- you’re bleeding.”  
“Yeah-“ he coughs softly. “Where’s…?”  
“Hazel? She’s outside. Do you want her to..?”  
“Yea. Please.”  
Hazel shakily runs into the cave, kneeling beside Simon.  
“Simon…!”  
“Hey, Hazel.”  
“You’re…! You’re hurt! Really hurt, Simon!”  
“Yeah- I guess I am.”  
He reaches a weak hand out to comb through her hair gently, before caressing her cheek, the same way he remembered Tuba used to do.  
He feels wet tears stain his hands.  
“Please don’t go. I promise I’ll be good- I promise! Please stay.”  
Simon lets out a pained chuckle, ruffling Hazel’s hair.   
“Don’t cry. Be- be brave for me, okay?”  
He turns to Amelia. “Take- take care of her for me. She’s a- a good kid.”  
Amelia nods.  
Short and simple.  
Hazel wraps her arms around Simon, sobbing into his shoulder.  
He supposed he’ll let her cry. She is a kid, after all.  
He leans back into her, and closes his eyes.  
He’s tired.

“Just take it easy peasy~”  
A fitting lullaby. He never got to tell Hazel how old she was at singing.

“My little lemon squeezy~”  
Never really got to say goodbye to Grace, either.  
Ah, well.   
That was that.

“When you’re with me~.”

**Author's Note:**

> I deadass wrote this at 2am . help. anyways I believe in good simon supremacy.  
> find me at @stokercore on twitter


End file.
